1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic equipment and modular telecommunication systems and, more particularly, to a radio transceiver and/or modem for use in establishing a link to a wireless network for electronic equipment of the type not conventionally utilized for telecommunication.
2. Description of Related Art
The fields of consumer electronics, data processing and telecommunications have experienced marked technological advances in recent years. Personal stereo cassette, disc players, and automobile AM/FM radios have become smaller and more efficient as has related consumer electronic hardware. The great advances in memory chips and miniaturization techniques have also enabled more and more electronic systems to be packaged in smaller and smaller spaces. The same is true for industrial electronic equipment and for personal computers.
Like consumer electronic equipment in general, personal computers are manufactured by many different suppliers around the world. An entire industry has subsequently developed in supplying memory cards for enhancing the capacity of this wide variety of personal computers. Recently, there has been a movement toward standardizing the interconnection formats for use in circuit cards for personal computers. In particular, the PC and Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) was formed with the goal of promoting the interchangeability of integrated circuit and memory cards among computer and other types of electronic products. Toward this end, the PCMCIA has promulgated certain physical and electrical standards to ensure that cards will be able to be used in different pieces of equipment. Both data storage, i.e. memory, and peripheral expansion, i.e. I/O, card types constructed in accordance with standards should be able to be used in any connectors also constructed in accordance with the standards. Such a standard is set forth in a variety of documents including the PCMCIA PC Card Standard, Release 2.0, incorporated by reference herein. The standard sets forth a 68 pin interchange for I/O type circuit cards for use in PC's.
Advances in wireless telecommunications have also moved rapidly in recent years. Various communication standards have been promulgated around the world defining specific frequencies, data rates, data formats, and the like for both voice and data communications by radio links between base stations and mobile units. For example, specialized packet switching systems for mobile data communications have enabled portable computers to directly uplink data access into the landline data communication network. Similarly, conventional voice based cellular radio systems, both analog and digital versions, can receive data from portable computers and transmit that data through the conventional telephone network to a remotely located data terminal. In addition, other systems such as paging (both local and global), DECT (Digital European Cordless Telecommunications), Mobitex, CDPD (Cellular Digital Packet Data), PCS (Personal Communications System) and the like have come into recent use. Each of these wireless telecommunications formats and standards generally requires separate software to provide a gateway for data into the wireless network as well as separate transmission/reception formats. This allows communication with radio base stations operating in different geographic areas as well as parts of different networks. It has been determined to be desirable, however, to package radio transceivers and/or modems in a modular manner so that a telecommunications terminal, such as a portable telephone or a portable personal computer, could be adapted for communication with different systems by simply replacing the modular unit with one which was especially configured for the telecommunications network with which communication was desired. The advantages of such radio transceiver packages should not, however, be limited to portable telephones and portable computers when other consumer and industrial electronic equipment can also be used with such packages.
The use of card mounted telecommunications interface equipment in a PC has existed for some time. In particular, modems are frequently mounted on an I/O card and plugged into receiving receptacles within the PC. The modem then enables the interface of a PC with standard telecommunication network lines and the transmission/reception of data for those lines. This is an extremely useful tool and maximizes the usefulness of the PC. Industrial and consumer electronic equipment, such as cassette and disc players have not yet been included in this technological integration with telecommunication to the extent of the PC.
It would be an advantage therefor to provide a standard PCMCIA card mounted radio transceiver which is readily replaceable in conventional consumer and industrial electronic equipment such as tape players, stereos, and utility meters to communicate with various networks in accordance with various radio standards. The system of the present invention and various components thereof provide such advantages.